Wondering where to go this spring? Whether you’re looking for a family trip, outdoor adventure, or cultural experience, these destinations offer something for everyone.
Book a family trip to South Lake Tahoe, California
The area certainly has a split personality: part California, part Nevada — with the two meeting along the lake’s southern shore. High-end casino hotels (in Nevada) bump up against the base village for Heavenly (in California). Outdoor recreation, gambling and nightlife are equally accessible things to do in South Tahoe — while for others outdoor picnics and renowned restaurants and breweries keep everyone satiated.
There is so much to look forward to, as spring represents one of the most beautiful and interesting seasons to visit. The weather is generally mild, sunny, and temperatures can even get warm on some days. Known as the “shoulder season,” spring in Tahoe is a time of warmer weather, fewer crowds, and lower prices, making it ideal for families to enjoy the region’s natural beauty and attractions. Here are some of the best ways to spend your spring vacation in South Tahoe:
Enjoy spring skiing – Enjoy the sun and snow with South Tahoe’s famous spring ski scene. Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Sierra-at-Tahoe provide diverse skiing experiences suitable for all skill levels. RnR’s extended stay rentals offer convenience for families, allowing them to treat their vacation as a full ski season rather than a short getaway.Visit Taylor Creek Visitor Center – An educational and scenic experience awaits families at this center, where diverse wildlife can be observed in a natural setting. The center is a gateway to several self-guided trails, making it a great spot for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.Experience the beauty of Emerald Bay State Park – A must-visit location, Emerald Bay offers breathtaking views, kayaking, beaches, and hiking trails. It’s an ideal spot for family photos and outdoor adventures.Chase waterfalls – Spring is the best time to explore Tahoe’s waterfalls, thanks to the melting snow. Trails of varying difficulty levels, like the beginner-friendly Eagle Falls trail, offer families the chance to witness the beauty of nature up close.Kayak or paddleboard – Experience Lake Tahoe from a unique perspective by kayaking or paddleboarding. Clearly Tahoe offers year-round tours, including special glass-bottom kayak experiences.Hop on a bike – Whether you’re a mountain bike pro or just getting started, spring offers many amazing mountain biking trails. The website Localfreshies.com offers a trail guide that will get you pointed in the right direction. Our suggestion? The 7.5-mile Tahoe Mountain trek is perfect for beginner-intermediate riders. It’s usually one of the first trails to dry out in the spring. After a quick battle uphill, you’ll be greeted with views that make it worth it, and the option to either out-and-back, loop around or keep heading up the ridge.Go climb a mountain – There’s no better way to experience the natural beauty of the Sierras firsthand than on the beautiful hiking trails. One of our favorite South Shore spots is Eagle Falls. This link from our friends at All Trails lays out other prime options.Enjoy a Heavenly Village experience – The base of the Heavenly Mountain Resort Gondola is home to Heavenly Village, featuring a charming shopping scene, restaurants, live music, and various family-friendly entertainment options.Partake in family-friendly events – With the new Tahoe Blue Event Center comes a new venue for great family-friendly entertainment with the 2024 Spring lineup including the Harlem Globetrotters world tour and Paw Patrol Live!: Heroes Unite, sure to delight the youngest members. Get in some spring swings – With the snow at lake level melted away, it’s the perfect time to get in a few rounds on the links, most open May through October. There’s Lake Tahoe Golf Course (a public course in a mountain meadow), Bijou Municipal Golf Course (Tahoe’s oldest, a 9-hole executive course) and Edgewood Tahoe (a challenging, beautifully sculpted public course along the lake). Of course, there’s plenty of fun to be had at Magic Carpet Golf, a family-friendly goofy golf experience that’s sure to bring some laughs.
RnR Vacation Rentals offers a wide selection of vacation homes, ensuring that families find the perfect base for their South Tahoe adventures. But remember, well-placed vacation rentals fill up quickly for spring break, so early booking is recommended. Ready for a family spring break filled with adventure and relaxation? Visit RnR Vacation Rentals at www.rnrvr.com/extendedstay or call (530) 208-5001 to start planning your South Tahoe spring break today.
Go golfing in Williamsburg, Virginia
An aerial view of Colonial Williamsburg by Eric Foster – Unsplash
Head to the Historic Triangle of Virginia and plan for an epic, golf-filled vacation at the region’s beautiful courses.
Just as Colonial Williamsburg brings America’s history to life, the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club honors the classic traditions of the game while still creating an entertaining challenge for today’s player. Designed by the father-and-son team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Rees Jones, players will experience 45 walkable holes over three courses, surrounded by mature woodlands. The Gold Course is a classic reimagined. Recently renovated by “The Open Doctor,” Rees Jones, the Gold Course now features cutting-edge turf grasses, new grass on the fairways, updated greens and surrounding rough, and utilizes “Better Billy Bunker” construction. Tees have been re-leveled and resurfaced, and the expanded practice putting green and range gives golfers plenty of opportunity to work on their long and short games. Rees Jones drew inspiration from his father to create the acclaimed Green Course, which opened in 1991. Carved from the same beautiful parkland terrain, the Green Course is longer than the Gold Course, but also more forgiving, which creates an enjoyable challenge for golfers of every skill level. Perfect for networking or a quick golf getaway, the Spotswood Course is Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s updated version of the original 1947 Williamsburg Inn course. Called the “best short nine-hole course in the country” by Golf magazine, this par-31 course includes six par-3s, two par-4s, and one par-5 to test your entire game.
Championship golf is the centerpiece of the Kingsmill Resort experience. It has hosted 38 PGA and LPGA events with golf legends Payne Stewart, Annika Sorenstam, Jack Nicklaus, Cristie Kerr, and Arnold Palmer among those who have played the famed courses. The Kingsmill Golf Academy offers expert advice for all levels of players. Pick between three renowned courses, The River, The Plantation, and The Woods. You can’t go wrong. The River Course, a Golfweek “Top 200 Resort Course,” was designed by prominent architect Pete Dye and is home to the LPGA Pure Silk Tournament. This course has welcomed Presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed the Plantation Course to test the skills of all types of players with its generous fairways, water hazards, and undulating greens. The Woods Course occupies a secluded corner of the resort and was recently opened to the public. Ranked #10 of Virginia’s Top Ten Golf Courses by Golf Week Magazine, the Woods Course is an instant hit with all golfers.
Featuring the only Arthur Hills signature-designed golf course in Williamsburg, Colonial Heritage Golf Club is open to the public and offers an exceptional layout that winds through rolling hills, streams, and pine forests. This artfully crafted masterpiece emulates the classic beauty and refinement of the natural terrain of its southern Virginia surroundings. Thoughtfully planned bunkers, undulating fairways, and well-arranged water features create an enjoyable golfing experience for novices and experts alike. Each year since 2013, Colonial Heritage has been ranked “Best in Region” by Coastal Virginia Magazine. After sinking the last putt, the clubhouse’s Heritage Restaurant and Bistro Grille will be waiting so you can grab a bite from the menu of American classics.
Kiskiack Golf Club is home to one of the top-ranked 18-hole golf courses in the state of Virginia. Designed by John LaFoy, it’s nestled along a ridge of a natural bluff in Williamsburg. Kiskiack’s public course features tree-lined fairways, gorgeous water features, and is easily walkable. While the course can be demanding even for the experienced player, the course’s open fairways and picturesque views will allow beginners to enjoy a round of golf as well. It’s the only golf course in Williamsburg with no homes on the course.
The 18-hole golf course at Stonehouse Golf Club features 7,013 yards of golf from the back tees. Stonehouse was designed by one of the most innovative golf course architects in the business, Mike Strantz, a former protégé of Tom Fazio. Strantz envisioned a mountain-style course that disturbed nature as little as possible. With deep bunkers and wide fairways, the par-72 layout features dramatic elevation changes and enormous putting greens perched on the edges of natural cliff formations, with constant challenges for all levels. Williamsburg golf travelers looking for a unique experience will find it at Stonehouse.
Located just minutes away from historic Williamsburg, Ford’s Colony Country Club offers some of the best resort golf in Virginia. This semi-private golf club features 54 holes with three distinct championship golf courses designed by Dan Maples. Blackheath is the most picturesque of the three courses with water coming into play on 13 holes. Every green on the course is guarded by bunkers, and the course also features many doglegs with rolling fairways. The Blackheath course is the only course at Ford’s Colony that plays to a par 71. Blue Heron is a continuous 18 that has long, challenging par-3s and par-5s. The Blue Heron has generous fairways carved out of dense wetlands. The course has new Champion Bermuda greens, which provide the smoothest surfaces throughout the year. Blue Heron is the longest of the three courses and contains many different species of birds, fish, and other wildlife. Marsh Hawk features traditional tree-lined fairways. It has small, undulating greens with strategically placed bunkers. The narrow fairways, well-placed bunkers, natural lakes, and elevation changes are the defenses of this course. Marsh Hawk was the host of the 1998 and 1999 Virginia State Opens, a Monday Qualifier for the 2005 – 2007 Henrico County Open, and a Monday Qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Michelob Championship for 12 straight years.
Voted “Best Golf Course in Williamsburg” by the Virginia Gazette two years in a row, Williamsburg National Golf Club is an open-to-the-public private club that features two very different courses when it comes to layout and putting surfaces (Bermuda rather than bent grass). The Jamestown Course, developed by Nicklaus Design, is a 4-star Golf Digest winner. The par-72 course measures close to 7,000 yards from the championship tees, with five different sets of tees appealing to golfers of all skill levels. It has received several awards, including being named “One of the Ten Best Courses you can play in Virginia” by Golf Digest magazine. The Yorktown Course layout offers a great mix of classic course design with a few modern twists. In addition to being ranked No. 7 of the most-improved courses in the nation by Golf Advisor (now GolfPass) in 2018, it has the area’s most interesting back nine featuring three par-5s, three par-4s, and three par-3s. Bermuda fairways, bent grass putting greens, and a course full of fun challenges await, three par 4s, and three par 5s. Be sure to try one of the most creative casual dining menus in Williamsburg at Williamsburg Nationals’ 1607 Grill which features daily specials, weekend breakfast, and patio dining.
Immerse yourself in culture in New York, New York
The meatpacking district in New York City by Bernd Dittrich – Unsplash
Steps away from the High Line and Chelsea Market in New York City’s vibrant Meatpacking District, the Whitney Museum of American Art is the perfect destination for visitors of all ages to immerse themselves in art, culture, and all that NYC has to offer. The Whitney presents soaring views of the famous city skyline via four stories of outdoor balcony terraces and awe-inspiring architecture amid its collection of masterworks by leading American artists like Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence, and Georgia O’Keeffe, along with cutting-edge exhibitions featuring today’s most celebrated contemporary artists.
From March 20th through August 11, 2024,, the Whitney Biennial, the Museum’s flagship exhibition and the country’s leading survey of contemporary American art, will return with a showcase of the most relevant art and ideas of our time. Plan your trip to experience this must-see exhibition and cultural event of the season, and be sure to include a visit to the newly opened Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney. Looking ahead, mark your calendars for Edges of Ailey, the first large-scale museum exhibition to reflect on the life, work, and legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey, opening this September.
The 2024 edition, Even Better Than the Real Thing, on view through August, features 71 contemporary artists and collectives working across media and disciplines. The artists featured are exploring and interpreting critical and timely issues. Don’t miss your opportunity to see tomorrow’s icons today, all in the heart of the lively Meatpacking District. The 2024 Whitney Biennial also features an incredibly robust lineup of live performances and film screenings. For the first time in Whitney Biennial history, audiences will be able to enjoy select films online, as well as during special screenings at the Museum. More information about the Whitney Biennial can be found at whitney.org/biennial.
On view through May 19, 2024, Harold Cohen: AARON traces the evolution of AARON, the earliest artificial intelligence (AI) software for artmaking and one of the longest-running contemporary art projects. Featuring artworks produced by AARON, this mesmerizing exhibition highlights its drawing process with pen plotters live in the galleries for the first time since the 1990s.
The Whitney houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a special focus on the most innovative artists of our time. Iconic works by Andy Warhol, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis, Roy Lichtenstein, and many more are now on view in The Whitney’s Collection: Selections from 1900 to 1965. This multi-year presentation also features a panoramic installation of Alexander Calder’s Calder’s Circus, which New York magazine calls “one of the most fun, beloved, and radical works of 20th-century American art.”
As part of the Whitney’s reimagined food and beverage program, Frenchette Bakery, which opened in TriBeCa in 2020, opened a new flagship location, with its first-ever cafe in the Museum’s redesigned ground-floor restaurant space in November 2023. The new Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney offers a grab-and-go bakery with a selection of on-premises baked sweet and savory fare, as well as a sit-down, full-service cafe with pizzas, soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees, desserts, and a carefully selected wine, beer, and cocktail menu. The restaurant features a new installation from artist Rashid Johnson, a steel-grid sculpture laden with plants and ceramics, extending from within the Whitney out to the plaza. The Museum’s eighth-floor cafe space, featuring a new commission by artist Dyani White Hawk, will reopen this spring.
All year round, the Whitney offers free art programming for kids and teens on weekends and a robust slate of public programs and events for visitors of all ages. Programs range from guided tours and artist talks to artmaking, performances, and so much more. Throughout the month of June, the Whitney will present a series of free, on-site public programs and events celebrating Pride. More public program information can be found online at whitney.org/events.
The Whitney Museum of American Art is the cultural anchor of the Meatpacking District, a twenty-square-block area on the far West Side of Manhattan. A neighborhood where old New York meets the electric pace of the 21st century, today the Meatpacking District is bustling with numerous architecture and design firms, fashion boutiques, high-tech companies, innovative public parks, and some of New York’s most notable restaurants, bars, clubs, and hotels. The neighborhood is bordered by Chelsea, renowned for its art galleries, cultural organizations, and Chelsea Market. The Whitney is only a few steps from the High Line, one of New York City’s most exceptional public parks located thirty feet above street level on a 1930s freight railway, as well as Little Island and Gansevoort Peninsula. Day and night, the cobblestone streets of the Meatpacking District are alive with culture. The Whitney recently transformed the artist Roy Lichtenstein’s nearby Greenwich Village studio into a new permanent home for its Independent Study Program, creating a dynamic space for creativity and scholarship.
Learn about the ocean in Daytona, Florida
Visitors explore the Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure – courtesy of Daytona Beach Area CVB
Often called home of the world’s most famous beaches, Daytona Beach, Florida, continues to delight and surprise visitors with its diverse and growing array of attractions. The Daytona Beach area includes several cities and towns including Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Ponce Inlet, Holly Hill and South Daytona. The destination has long been known for its iconic beaches and rich auto racing history but today a slate of exciting new attractions, upscale lodging, a vibrant arts scene and an amazing collection of parks, preserves and outdoor activities are all part of Daytona Beach’s year-round appeal.
The Daytona Beach area has its first aquarium offering in the destination with the opening of the Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure, which provides an interactive educational experience featuring animals from both land and sea.The 55,000-square foot facility is located on the northwest corner of International Speedway Blvd. and Nova Road in the heart of Daytona Beach. Visitors can explore close to 40 separate exhibits including a 100,000-gallon shark exhibit and two touch pools including a 12,000-gallon stingray touch pool. There are also habitats for alligators, frogs, and lizards.In addition, the attraction will have animal meet and greets with reptilian animal ambassadors throughout the day with guests.
“We’re excited that this moment has arrived,” said Lori Campbell Baker, Executive Director for the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The destination’s first aquarium is going provide another great must-do experience when visiting Daytona Beach area.”
Phase 2 of the attraction, The Rainforest, is scheduled for opening in 2025 and will feature multiple species including primates, sloths, and tropical birds. Daily adult admission tickets are $28.95 and $24.95 for children ages 2-12. College students, military/police, and senior admissions (65 and over) are $27.95. Annual memberships are $100 for adults and $80 for children ages 2-12. The Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. with the last admission available at 5:15 pm. For more information, visit Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure.
Sip on fine wines in Detroit, Michigan
The Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC) is excited to announce that from May 17-19, 2024, Detroit is set to be swept off its feet as Taste Michigan Invades the D, transforming the city into a haven for wine enthusiasts and gastronomic aficionados alike. This three-day extravaganza promises an unforgettable fusion of local flavors, exquisite wines, and unparalleled experiences.On May 17, embark on a journey through the heart of Metro Detroit as Michigan Wine Collaborative’s renowned winery members collaborate with restaurants, crafting exclusive Michigan wine-paired experiences at select locations. Immerse yourself in the art of wine and culinary perfection as each venue unveils a symphony of flavors curated to tantalize taste buds across the Motor City. This is the premier chance to truly, Taste Michigan.The climax of the weekend unfolds on May 18 at Comerica Park, where Michigan Wine Collaborative, Vintage Michigan Wine Club, and Taste Michigan partner with Uncork Me Michigan Wine Festival. Brace yourselves for an unparalleled gathering of 30 wineries, all converging within the iconic stadium. Sip, savor, and celebrate the diversity of Michigan’s finest wines, meticulously curated to delight even the most discerning palates. The invasion concludes on May 19th with The Royce’s annual Michigan Wine Expo.Experience the best that Michigan has to offer in the world of wine and culinary arts by securing your tickets at TasteMichigan.org. Don’t miss this opportunity to revel in a weekend of unparalleled indulgence and create lasting memories with friends and fellow enthusiasts. Taste Michigan is dedicated to showcasing the vibrant culinary and winemaking scene of the Great Lakes State. Through curated events and festivals, Taste Michigan provides a platform for locals and visitors to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Michigan’s gastronomic delights. Visit TasteMichigan.org for more information and ticket details. The Michigan Wine Collaborative is the voice of the Michigan wine industry. Our mission is to enhance the sustainability and profitability of the Michigan wine industry by supporting wineries, growers and other businesses and individuals connected to the industry – today and for future generations.
This article was originally published by Budgettravel.com. Read the original article here.